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Friday, September 28, 2012

Match Preview: Singapore Armed Forces vs Hougang United

By OPOD

Photo: ST He Photography

The statistics are clear - Hougang United stand a huge chance of winning SAFFC. Having been cellar dwellers for long spells since the induction of the S-League, they have done pretty well last year and this year, cementing their place in mid-table. The name change has proven to be a ‘lucky charm’ for Hougang, as they ditched their ‘marine’ history for a land animal, the Cheetah.

Sure enough, the Cheetahs of Hougang United have been relentless this whole season, with the latest being a win over 2nd placed Albirex Niigata just last week in a 3-2 thriller at the Jurong East Stadium. Their opponents however, have been constantly on the drop, disappointing enough for a team which had won the league trophy eight times since the induction of the league (16 years).
SAFFC head coach Richard Bok is also due to step down, with current assistant coach V Selvaraj taking over his reins. With that, he would definitely want to end the season on a better note and hopefully wish for a good showing in the Singapore Cup. If they lose this game, they will find themselves dropping to eighth, behind their opponents tonight - and that will certainly not be nice to see.

With confidence running high in the Hougang camp, they will be keen to prove themselves and achieve a better showing than last year. For tonight, coach Nenad Bacina should be fielding a similar lineup (as last week) at the Hougang Stadium and will be hoping for a good night ahead. For coach Richard Bok, he looks set to be sticking with his charges, hoping for his players to repay his faith in them.

Will SAFFC be able to break their three game losing streak? It remains to be seen. For a team with so much potential in the likes of Mislav Karoglan and Tatsuro Inui - and with a relatively higher budget than Hougang, they surely have disappointed.

No matter what, its redemption time for them tonight. Win their remaining games and they would be able to finish higher than where they are now. Lose again, and we could be in for a major revamp of the squad next season.